I was born and raised in Maryland. One would think that the border states would not be very different. One would expect that we use the same words for the same things and that we eat the same foods – but one would be wrong.

In the state of West Virginia, in a town just fifteen minutes from the border with Maryland, I ate at a restaurant and, while looking at the menu, I saw something very confusing.

I read:

Cheeseburger $3.50
Bacon Cheeseburger $3.75
BLT $2.95
Hot dog $1.75

All looks good, good prices, but the next item on the menu was:

Mexican $2.25

What? A Mexican? A Mexican what? If they had written it as “Mexican Sandwich” I don’t think I would have stopped short, but it only said “Mexican.”

First I thought it was just this restaurant, but it’s actually a popular sandwich in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia – and that’s the name – it’s a “Mexican” – no one adds the word “sandwich.”

I still have not ordered a “Mexican” but from what I understand, it’s like a Sloppy Joe in a hot dog bun. No one seems to know exactly why its called a “Mexican” but some say it’s because of the spices used to season the meat.

Well, maybe it isn’t that odd. After all, Mexicans have a dish called the “gringa.”